Yelling and Shouting
by Weird Not Boring
Summary: "James knew this fighting was rather childish, but, Merlin, he couldn't help it. Not only had he done so much for this and she hadn't even noticed  !  but there was just something irresistible about getting Lily all riled up."  LilyJames oneshot.


**A/N: Yet another product of long plane rides. Inspired by bits of Pride and Prejudice, The Ugly Truth, "Not Her Way" by Kerrigan and Lowdermilk, and probably parts of Commentarius by BC Daily because I have been re-reading it lately and it is rather inspiring, isn't it?**

**Also, anything recognizable is very definitely not mine.**

**P.S. I know I tread very near one of the great clichés that I hate so much but I promise that it goes anyway sooner than one might think. I do hope that no one is terribly offended by it.**

**And now, without any further ado, I present:**

**Yelling and Shouting**

Lily had never felt so frustrated in her entire life, not even that one time that Petunia had snapped her wand in two and then laughed. **Not even then.** Nor was she as frustrated as she was now in any of those ridiculous Ancient Runes classes where her professor made the whole class repeat the name of each rune **over** and **over** again. She had felt pretty frustrated then but nothing compared to this. She wanted to pull all of her hair out. No! Better yet! She wanted to pull all of **Potter's **stupid messy hair out.

"This is all your fault!"

"You know what, Lily?" The guilty one began, but Lily didn't give him time to finish.

"I don't want to hear it, James! If you hadn't thought that this ball wouldn't be just a right SPLENDID idea then we wouldn't **be** here right now!"

"Don't give me that crap, Lily! You thought this was a great idea when I first suggested it! _An Interhouse Unity Ball to support the Ministry put on by Hogwarts students. Oooooh!_" He mocked.

"I so do not sound like that," Lily said, clearly not amused. Before he could say something, she continued. "And you're right. I did think that this ball was a good idea" the unspoken "for you" hung between them for a moment before she continued: "before I realized that I would be doing **ALL** of the work!"

"You take that back, Lily Evans," James said, throwing the box of decorations down with a loud thump that echoed through the empty Great Hall. "You've barely even done a thing!"

"What are you talking about, Potter? I did so-"

"Oh, back to surnames are we?"

"Shut up! Just let me finish! You **never** let me finish! I did so much for **your** crazy idea!"

"Oh yeah, like what, Lily?" James knew this fighting was rather childish, but, Merlin, he couldn't help it. Not only had he done **so much** for this and she hadn't even noticed (!) but there was just something irresistible about getting Lily all riled up.

"I just spent the **whole** day walking to Hogsmeade, apparating to the Ministry, and waiting in lines for **hours** just because SOMEONE forgot to have the Ministry approve their stupid dance!

"Okay, first of all-"

"I'm not finished!" Lily practically screeched, incensed and on a roll. "And **then**, I had to come back here, even though I was already exhausted and have homework to do – I have to help you put up the decorations last minute that should've been done before I even got back here!"

James gave her a look. "Are you quite finished?"

"Yes!" Lily yelled, still caught up in her earlier rant. The yell echoed harshly all around them and Lily blushed, chagrined. "I mean, yes."

"First of all, this ball is **not** stupid. Just because Hogwarts hasn't seen a ball in ages doesn't mean that people are not excited for it. It was a **darn** good idea and I hope you don't forget."

Lily suddenly found her shoes very interesting. "You're right, James. I'm sorry." At that, the angry indignance seemed to leave James and he sighed as she continued. "I'm just – I'm just tired. And I didn't mean - I've never seen Hogwarts students so excited for anything before – even that one Hufflepuff vs. Slytherin match when Hufflepuff actually won. Do you remember that?" Lily looked up and smiled fondly, still not quite meeting his eyes.

James smiled back, marveling at how quickly their conversations could go from angry to reminiscent "That was such a great day – well, until that night."

Lily blushed. "I did say I was sorry about that."

"Water under the bridge." James said, smiling at Lily.

"Thank you," Lily said sincerely. "I was such a complete prat – I still can't believe all of the terrible things I called you - and I'm sorry."

James smiled uncomfortably. He had definitely seen this apologizing and agreeing side of Lily before – they had worked together as Heads for months now – but he would never get used to it. "I don't really want to talk more about it." He paused and Lily opened her mouth to say something ridiculous and uncomfortable like "sorry" again, but he continued: "I would much rather thank you for helping me today. I don't know what I would do without you. Thank you."

Lily blushed and tried to smile. "It- it was nothing. I was happy to do it. I-"

"No, really," James interrupted. "Thank you. And I'm sorry I didn't get the decorations done in time. There was a mix-up in the kitchens and I've been down there all day straightening things with the elves."

"And I'm sorry I didn't ask you what kept you – I should have known that there must have been a good reason," Lily apologized, looking straight into James' eyes, which were filled with an emotion Lily couldn't quite recognize.

"And I'm sorry that I said you hadn't done a thing." James took a step closer.

"And, er, well-" That look was getting Lily so flustered it was hard to finish sentences, but finally she succeeded. "I'm sorry I yelled," she said triumphantly.

"Well, I'm sorry I yelled." James was clearly enjoying this. He took another step closer to where Lily stood, which wasn't that far away.

Lily laughed and might have leaned towards him slightly. "Cheater! Think up your own thing to be sorry for."

James chuckled, a deep throaty laugh. However, even that could not hide the searching look on his face when he said: "But I am sorry."

Lily suddenly got the feeling that this conversation had taken a turn down a path she had been very successful at avoiding all year. She didn't know quite what to say – "I forgive you" seemed oddly insufficient – so she gaped at him quite like a fish. But he gave her time to collect her thoughts and she finally said "Thank you and – I'm sorry too."

"Lily, I-" James began but Lily, fearful, interrupted.

"James-" but she couldn't finish it. She was such a coward! "Just when did you get so mature?" She laughed, but it sounded fake even to her own ears.

James, only understanding a bit of what had just happened, said: "Had to do it sometime, right?" And he gave Lily such an adorable smile that her heart went pitter pat.

She laughed, this time succeeding in making it sound more real. "Well, thank Merlin for that!" She laughed again and lightly touched his upper arm. "I'm only joking, James."

James looked up from where he had been intently staring at the other side of the room and looked intensely into her unsuspecting eyes. "You have to know – you must know – this was all for you."

And Lily, not ready for such things, bolted straight out of the room. James, left with more decorations than he had time, watched her go and sighed.

James had never been so frustrated in his entire life, not even that one time that Sirius convinced him that he should explore the lands near the Potter estate outside of Godric's Hollow and they had spent the whole night wandering around the woods, lost. **Not even then.** Nor was he as frustrated as he was in any of those nonsense flying classes that all first years were forced to take where he wasn't even allowed to fly over 10 feet. He had felt pretty frustrated then, but nothing compared to this. He had looked all over the very ball that she had spent so long helping him get ready, but she was no where to be seen. **She hadn't shown up**. He just couldn't believe it. The ball was almost over and she hadn't shown up!

By 11 o'clock, James was seething. He stomped out of his own ball and then ran, freaking **ran**, all the way up to Gryffindor tower, yelled at the Fat Lady and then marched straight to the stairs.

Which he promptly slid down. In his rage, he had forgotten that the girls' staircase refused to let members of the opposite sex up. _Merlin._

So, in haste and frustration, he "accio!"ed his broom and flew all the way to the top of the girls' staircase and then (after a quick "alohamora") straight into the room labeled "7th year girls."

Lily sat straight up in bed as James bolted through the door. "James? Wahh?"

James was too much consumed by his anger and frustration to bother with niceties. He slammed his broom down (breaking a few bristles) and then marched right over to Lily and asked loudly: "What do you think you are doing?"

Lily cringed. "James, shut up." She stretched. "Ugh. What time is it? For that matter, what are you doing in my room?"

James would later find it amusing that she didn't think to ask how he had made it up there. She knew him too well. At that moment, he was too incensed to think. "I am the one asking questions, Lily! How could you not show up to the ball? You know how much it means to me! I used to think it meant a lot to you, but I guess I was wrong," he said, spitefully with much glaring.

Lily tried to speak, but was overwhelmed with something she couldn't quite identify but seemed to be a mix between shock and confusion and fear so did the only rational thing available to her at that point. She picked up the covers of her bed and put them over her head.

"Lily!" James exclaimed, stunned. "Are you five years old?"

She peeked her head out. "Would that make you the overbearing father figure then?"

James just continued glaring, not deigning to answer.

Lily lost some of her muster and mumbled something incoherent.

"Merlin, Lily! Stop acting like you are two years old!"

"I thought I was five!" Lily yelled back.

"That was a minute ago. You are rapidly losing maturity." James glared some more.

Lily sighed and pushed the covers completely off her head. "Enough with the glaring already. I'll tell you what I said."

"Well then, thanks princess."

Lily stuck her tongue out at him.

James sighed, exasperated. "Lily, you are one. Are you happy now? You are officially one year old."

"Yes," Lily said spitefully, but she didn't mean it. James' glare, in spite of himself, softened.

There was a long pause before Lily finally said: "I'm a coward." James gave her an odd look so she clarified: "That's what I said earlier." She paused again but James forced himself to wait for her to continue. "I don't do confrontations," she tucked her hair behind her ear, trying to tame what she knew what must be a complete mess, "and I don't like feelings and it is still very hard for me to believe that someone like you could ever fancy someone like me," Lily said, gaining courage with every word but still religiously keeping her eyes on anything but anywhere in the vicinity of his face. "Because, I mean, I am just," she paused again, struggling to find the word, "ordinary. I'm ordinary. With bad hair and anger problems." She gathered courage and finally looked into his eyes, hoping to see anything but pity or disdain. "What could anyone like you see in someone like-"

"Shut up, Lily," James said, looking from her eyes to her lips. Lily, in turn, looked down at his, but neither moved. Lily wondered when he had gotten so close to her bed.

"Lily, you have to know," James finally said, clearing his throat and looking her in the eyes with a sort of fire she hadn't seen before. "You just have to know – and I know I said this before, but, honestly, it needs to be said again – that I don't think you're worthless. How much I don't think you're worthless, in fact. How much I – how much you – what I would **do** for you, I mean, **Merlin**, Lily!"

Lily sniffed. "Don't get angry at me, James!"

"Well, what do you expect me to do? You do all of these completely irrational things and say completely irrational words and I -"

"Oh so now I'm irrational?" Lily interrupted angrily.

"No!" he yelled, angry that she was angry. "Merlin, will you ever let me finish a sentence? I mean, I can't even tell you that I love you without you going **mental!**"

"You what?" Lily asked, eyes as wide as saucers. "You l-lo- you can't! I just – slow down, James!"

"No," James said defiantly, climbing into her bed with her, dress robes and all. Lily squeaked and dove for the covers again but James held them firm. "I'm sick of taking things slow! I've been doing that all year and all we've been doing is arguing! I want-" he looked down at her with a new intensity. Lily gulped and tried to turn chameleon. "I mean," he corrected, "I want you to want-"

Lily never got the chance to hear what else he had to say because James reached around and possessively held the back of her head still while he swooped down and kissed her. Lily froze, unable to do anything but think of the incredible feeling of his lips against hers. Looking back, she would wonder why she had waited so long to do this with James. But at the time, she was unable to think at all. Against her better judgment, however, her body started reacting to his, her hands reaching up to fist in his hair. Before her hands reached their destination, James pulled back violently and jumped back away from her bed as if she were poison.

"Merlin, Lily. I'm so sorry. I – I shouldn't have done that." He couldn't quite meet her eyes so he missed the traces of disappointment that rested there.

Lily said nothing (he was expecting a "You're completely right, I never want to see you again") so James looked up with new hope. "I shouldn't have done that, right?"

"Well, of course not," Lily said primly, but with no anger. "I mean, Merlin! We just snogged in my bed!"

James gathered his courage and walked closer to her bed once more. "But you didn't mind it?"

Lily blushed. "Well, I-"

James grinned brightly and interrupted. "That doesn't sound like a no."

Lily looked up, gathered her courage and said, softly, "It wasn't."

James whooped for joy, said something that sounded like "Finally, stubborn woman", and then scooped her up in his arms once more.

And, before long, James Potter had decided definitively that kissing Lily Evans was definitely better than arguing with her, although he loved doing that very much.

**A/N: So what did you think?**


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